January 21. 2013, Philadelphia (Germantown), PA: IMPeRFeCT Gallery is thrilled to announce the exhibition, Gays in the Military: How America Thanked Me, featuring photographs by renowned New York-based photographer, Vincent Cianni. This exhibition will be on view from February 6 through March 2, 2013 at iMPeRFeCT Gallery, 5601 Greene Street, in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. The opening reception is on Saturday, February 9, from 6:00 – 9:00pm.

For this series of photographs, Gays in the Military: Or How America Thanked Me, Cianni set out to explore how many lives had been affected due to homophobia in the military.” The resulting images are engaging and honest portrayals of patriotic people dedicated to serving a country that openly discriminates against them. Since Cianni began this work, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy has been repealed, but with these photographs Cianni shows us that the lasting effects of homophobia, discrimination, dishonorable military discharge, and a history of harassment and discrimination continue to have striking impact in his subjects’ lives.

Cianni has interviewed and photographed over seventy service men and women from all ranks and departments of the United Stated military. In 2010, he spent six weeks on the road compiling oral histories and making portraits of his subjects. His photographs are straight-forward and documentary in style, typically showing subjects in their homes, and surrounded by the everyday accumulations of living. These frank and familiar depictions allow the viewer to enter into the story; after all, the people in these portraits could be anyone’s sister, uncle, or father. Cianni makes photographs that resonate and draw people together. He records the lives of individuals at the same time that he reveals and documents a significant episode in the history of the United States.

Vincent Cianni graduated from Penn State University, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and SUNY New Paltz. He teaches photography at Parsons The New School of Design, NYC. He currently lives in Newburgh, NY. His documentary photography has been exhibited throughout the country in major museums including the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A major survey of his work was exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York in 2006. His work is archived at Duke University’s Rare Books, Manuscripts and Special Collections Library.